WhatzUp - Heartland Art, Entertainment & Recreation

WhatzUp

2005 Best Karaoke Host

28.47% Shawn Browning (Shotgun Productions)*

21.96% Bucca*
16.81% Jay Clibon (American Idol)*
11.66% Wendy KQ
8.23% Steve Witt (Come Sing Witt Us)*
6.69 Crystal Brown Clouse
1.20% Jake Carpenter (Mantra)

Others with Votes (more than one):
TJ Deller (American Idol), KJ Rhonda (Piere’s), Stu Black (Damon Productions), Chad Beach, Cookie (Martin’s), Rob Stone

2004 Winner: Shawn Browning (Shotgun Productions)
2003 Winner: Shawn Browning (Shotgun Productions)
2002 Winner: n/a
2001 Winner: n/a
2000 Winner: n/a
1999 Winner: n/a
1998 Winner: n/a
1997 Winner: n/a
* On the ballot
Winners Shawn Brown and his Shotgun Productions must be doing something right when it comes to karaoke. He’s won the Whammy for Best Karaoke Host for three years running, the length of time the award has existed.

Browning has been hosting karaoke at numerous bars and clubs around Northeast Indiana since 1993. That’s a lot of time to spend listening to people in varying stages of inebriation either doing a great job at their chosen song or caterwauling through it.

He should get an award for that alone.

Unfortunately, I was not able to talk to Browning before, during or after his Whammy win, at least not about karaoke and Shotgun Productions. I did talk to him about The Migraines, his Whammy-winning Christian band.

So, in lieu of new content, I’m going to plug-in part of the story John Degroff wrote last year after Browning won the Best Karaoke Whammy. Here it is:

When you hear someone say they’re "...in the music business," the first thing that comes to mind is, ah, musician. There are quite a few other ways to be "in the music business," and Shawn Browning, Whammy Award-winner for Best Karaoke Host, proves you can have a lot of visibility off stage as well.

Just being nominated, again, means a lot to him. "I’m sorta embarrassed but humbled to be nominated," he said. "I mean that in the sense that it’s my job. The guys at Steak And Shake don’t get awards, so it’s a bit uncomfortable. I got involved in karaoke because I didn’t want a real job, and I was in college. After graduating, my response to potential bosses was usually, ‘You’re gonna pay me how much?’ So I just kept with the karaoke. I usually run about five or six shows per week myself. It’s nice because it allows me the opportunity to go on the road with my band and not lose my job."

For someone who is a well known, working musician in a popular band, Browning has definitely found a way to occupy his down time and still make a living. And it’s obvious he’s found a way to entertain a crowd other than from the stage. His second Whammy win for Best Karaoke Host more than proves he loves his "job."

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